Narrative Theories

Narrative Theories

The music video 'Al l I want' by Kodaline has a narrative structure. One of the main themes of the music video is to not judge a book by its cover. We see the 'monster' as the protagonist looking for love. The music conveys that everyone is beautiful in his or her own way and everyone will find love. The protagonist has a strong bond, which connotes that animals do not care what people look like. It also concentrates on the man wanting to get the woman, which is emphasised in the lyrics: 'All I want is nothing more to hear you knocking at my door'.

Bordwell and Thompson (1997)

In 1997, Bordwell theorised that there were two distinctions between the story and the plot. They suggested that the story were events that we see and infer however; the plot is everything visible and present.

This applies to the music video 'All I want (Part One)' by Kodaline. In the music video, the story is what we see and infer. For example, we do not see the protagonist getting ready for work in the morning however; we see a close up shot of him at work. Therefore, we infer that he has got ready that morning and managed to travel to work. We as an audience do not see this though we imply it through the narrative.

Moreover, in the narrative we do not get told that the protagonist is attracted to the woman however, we infer it through the use of editing and cinematography. The point of view shots show the protagonist looking and then we see a medium shot of the woman. It focuses on different parts of her body throughout. 

Sven Carlsson

Sven Carlsson theorised that music videos fall under three categories: narrative, performance and conceptual.

Performance music videos show the artist/group, and indicate what they can do. It mainly focuses on the artist. This can either be through dance, instruments or song. The use of performance in music videos shows them as being individuals and creating an image of themselves. Therefore, the audience are willing to consume the product as they wish to aspire to the artist. They use performance to advertise themselves and their products. Nowadays, it's all about how the music video looks rather than conveying a message to the audience.

Conceptual music videos are abstract and use art to get their ideas across. They portray a mood/feeling to the audience. Conceptual music videos do not include the artist in the video. They use landscapes/imagery to portray a mood. However, these types of music videos are rare as it can be difficult to portray a message across and not the most popular type of music videos that audiences like to consume. 

Narrative music videos tell the audience a story, connoting different messages and ideologies to the audience. The music video 'All I Want' by Kodaline is a narrative music video, which portrays messages and themes of romance, relationships and loyalty. It does this through the use of editing, cinematography, sound and mise-en-scene. 

Tim O'Sullivan (1998)

Tim O'Sullivan believes that all media texts tell us some kind of story/ common structure. They are a way of telling stories about ourselves or a set of cultures that we have. The narrative can show us what we experience when we read a story. It could use nostalgia in a way where it tells us what is happening at that moment in society.

He theorises that it is important how construction are put together and by deconstructing the music video we can find out what is present in the text and what may be missing. This can help the audience decide the genre/ideology of the music video.

Within the music video 'All I Want' by Kodaline, it tells a story of relationships and how it affects us. This is a common narrative story that is within the genre of pop. 

Todorov

Todorov's theory suggests that every narrative follows the same structure. The structure begins with equilibrium, which is where everything is 'normal'. However, something happens to disrupt the narrative between the characters. They then find a way to resolve the problem, which leads to re-equilibrium.

In this case, within the music video 'All I want' by Kodaline, the equilibrium begins where everything is normal within their workplace. They are just getting on with their everyday lives. However, the protagonist is being bullied, as he does not look the right way in which society expects him too. 

The equilibrium continues as the protagonist goes home and takes his dog for a walk, as he is an animal he does not notice how he looks like the other do. The height of the disequilibrium is when the two men are harassing the woman so the protagonist has to come in and 'save' her from the other men. The re-equilibrium occurs when he has 'saved' her from the other men and the woman walks home with the protagonist.

Kate Domaille (2001)

Kate Domaille theorises that every narrative written will fit into one of these 8 narratives.

1) Achilles: The story of how the fatal flaw will eventually lead to the destruction of the flawless.

2) Candide: The indomitable hero that cannot be put down.

3) Cinderella: The dream comes true.

4) Circle: The innocent and the victim.

5) Faust: How selling your soul to the devil may bring you riches but eventually it will belong to him. 

6) Orpheus: The loss of something personal, like the gift that is taken away.

7) Romeo and Juliet: The love story.

8) Tristan and Iseult: The love triangle.

The music video 'All I want' fits into the narrative 'Romeo and Juliet' which is story of a love. We imply this as we see the men fighting over the woman. They both want her and only one of them gets the woman in the end and we convey by the end that they end up getting together. 

Michael Shore (1994) 

Michael Shore argued that music videos are recycled styles. They give you information overload to give you immediate gratification. Most music videos show women, power and wealth; these are the main themes that are used.